Chinese priests greet Pope Francis at general audience

VATICAN (SE): Pope Francis welcomed 26 Chinese priests to a general papal audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on April 25

They had been attending a spring session organised by the Verbiest Institute KU Leuven (Belgium), UCAN reported on April 26.

A priest from Inner Mongolia presented the pope with a chasuble made by Catholics from the autonomous region.

Pope Francis blessed the Church in Inner Mongolia and assured the priests of his support for their pastoral and evangelising work, and told them he keeps them in his prayers. He also asked them to pray for him.

The China Infodoc Services of the Verbiest Institute reported that the group had earlier met with the head of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples Propaganda Fide, Fernando Cardinal Filoni, who spoke positively about developing close cooperation with the Church in China.

Archbishop Claudio Celli, who has visited the Church in China several times, presided at a concelebrated Mass with the group in the chapel in front of the tomb of St. Peter inside St. Peters Basilica.